Interview with Corey Campbell – Sr. Creative & UX Designer

By RevUnit

May 09, 2016

We recently caught up with our Senior Creative & UX Designer, Corey Campbell to talk about his work as a designer and get to know him personally.

How did you get into Design?

I’ve always had an inclination toward the arts. Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of toys that did the playing for me like kids seem to be bombarded with now (noises, flashing lights, etc). This helped foster much of my creativity because I had to find creative ways to play. In middle school, I started to experiment with front-end development and was fascinated when I discovered programming’s capability to automate things. In high school, I joined Panther Robotics Team #1108 where I quickly became the project manager for the web design, animation, and videography teams – winning a few awards along the way. I excelled at math and art classes, but nothing seemed to fit career-wise. Finally, I realized that I had been freelance web designing for the past several years. What I liked about math was the logic, and what I liked about art was the creativity, so I decided to pursue a career where I could apply both.

What project that you have worked on at RevUnit are you most proud of?

Part of what I like about my work is that it’s always changing, always challenging, and, thus, never really complete. It’s a career you can’t get caught up finding your identity in because it will consume you. I’ve come to terms with the fact that what I make today will most likely be forgotten tomorrow because there is always room for improvement as we iterate. It’s a truth uncomfortable for a lot of people, but it’s a huge sigh of relief for me. Too many people end up placing the entire world on their shoulders feeling like they have to accomplish all these goals or impact the world in some remarkable way. As a designer, my best work is done when the user doesn’t know that I’m there. If I take pride in anything, it’s that my fingerprints might be everywhere, but my name nowhere.

As a designer, my best work is done when the user doesn’t know that I’m there

@webmastercorey

After being with RevUnit for 2+ years, what has been the best aspect of working here?

Freedom to try and freedom to fail. In other words, we have the opportunity to grow and learn here. There are some work environments that are so strict, requiring certain performance, or dictating what you have to do and how it should be done. At RevUnit, we are a still a “unit,” but there is also a great autonomy to discover new ways of doing things. My Creative Director, Brian Wolowicz, embodies this value well. He’s my superior in that I report to him, but he’s my equal in that he’s got my back. He trusts me with my work, even if it isn’t always perfect. I also like how our CTO, Michael Paladino, put it in our explainer video, “We’re not perfect, but we’ll figure it out along the way.”

What design process do you enjoy more: User Experience or User Interface?

I probably talk about user experience more than anything (you can ask my wife to confirm that), but there’s something to be said about a visual design that comes together in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Assign an attribute to each of the letters of R-E-V-U-N-I-T that you think describes it best:

RewardingEffectiveValue-DrivenUpbeatNuttyInnovativeThriving

You’ve taught a Photoshop series to RevUnit employees in the past. Did you enjoy the opportunity to teach?

Absolutely, the excitement when I discover something new is difficult to contain. This oftentimes makes me out to be pretentious or a know it all, but I’m really just excited and passionate about what I do. The prep work to teach a subject is time consuming, but it’s rewarding in the end. There’s even some iteration and learning that happens there too. It wasn’t nearly as much work as when I was adjuncting for a local university that needed my help, though. I’m currently trying to get a few more people on board with this idea of sharing knowledge with other employees. We’re going to be calling it RevUniversity or RevU as we begin to formalize the curriculum. The hope is to one day open it up to the community, not just RevUnit employees. Until then, you’ll need to apply for a job here.

If you won $1 Million to be donated to charity what organizations would you contribute to and why?

To be honest, I’m unlikely to win a million dollars because I don’t try to win money. It’s far more enjoyable to work for it, but I’ll entertain the idea: The Church, Compassion International, and F.I.R.S.T. Robotics.

What is the biggest design faux pas?

Designing without purpose.

At RevUnit, most of us are huge Star Wars fans. What Yoda quote is the guiding Force in your life?

“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”

Yoda

Author

RevUnit

RevUnit is an award-winning digital strategy and product studio that partners with some of the world’s largest enterprises empower their employees via intelligent technology. Leveraging human-centric design, strategic vision, and emerging tech, RevUnit builds digital solutions and strategies that unlock productivity and drive employee engagement.